Ubisoft, the renowned developer behind Assassin’s Creed and Prince of Persia, has reportedly laid off 45 employees across its US offices in a recent cost-cutting measure. This marks the second round of layoffs for Ubisoft in 2024, reflecting a broader trend of post-pandemic restructuring in the gaming industry.
Similar to other major companies like Microsoft and Sony, Ubisoft is offering severance pay and career assistance to those affected, as the industry grapples with ongoing economic challenges.
Highlights
- Ubisoft has reportedly laid off 45 US-based employees in a cost-cutting move, marking the second round of job cuts in 2024.
- Major game companies like Microsoft and Sony have also implemented layoffs and restructuring post-pandemic.
- Ubisoft is said to be providing severance pay and career assistance to affected employees.
Assassin”s Creed and Prince of Persia developer Ubisoft has reportedly laid off 45 employees across two of its US-based offices. This latest blow to the games industry continues the unrelenting spree of layoffs in 2024, during which Ubisoft has already endured job cuts once before.
Over the past few years, layoffs have become prevalent and recurring in the industry, brutally impacting major game companies as well as indie developers. As part of post-pandemic restructuring and cost-cutting measures, industry leaders like Microsoft and Sony have drastically cut down their workforce and even shut down entire studios in the process.
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According to Bloomberg, Ubisoft let go of a combined 45 employees across its American studios in San Francisco, California and Cary, North Carolina this week. The source reports that the French publisher labeled the layoffs a “difficult yet necessary” move which was done in the interest of “future business and development objectives” of the affected offices. It also mentioned that the Splinter Cell developer will provide severance pay and career-related assistance to the employees laid off. Interestingly, the Cary-based office, also known as Red Storm Entertainment, was the developer behind the long-anticipated The Division spinoff that was canceled back in May.
Ubisoft May Have Unleashed Another Round of Job Cuts
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Notably, the rumored layoffs would mark the second time Ubisoft has slashed jobs in 2024. The gaming industry giant last laid off employees at Ubisoft Toronto, the team behind Watch Dogs Legion, as recently as June. The decision came as the studio continued working on the highly-awaited Splinter Cell remake, understandably worrying the fans of the stealth franchise. Although Red Storm Entertainment and Ubisoft San Francisco haven”t yet been confirmed to be leading any big IP at the time, it”s worth noting that the latest layoffs come right ahead of a crucial period for Ubisoft where major titles, including Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin”s Creed Shadows, are set to hit the shelves in the near future.
While things have been uncertain in the gaming industry for quite some time, certain stalwarts like Nintendo have held strong and avoided laying off their employees on a big scale. In fact, key industry figures, such as FromSoftware President Hidetaka Miyazaki and Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke, have spoken strongly against mass-firing employees. Speaking about layoffs, Miyazaki called it something that he “would not let happen,” whereas Vincke urged bosses to “take care” of their employees and blamed “greed” for the job losses. As more of the industry comes together against mass job cuts, fans may expect the trend to subside sooner or later.
Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a well-known video game developer and publisher with a main headquarters in Saint-Mandé, France. Current CEO Yves Guillemot runs an array of teams responsible for some of the most iconic and well-known series in video games, with franchises like Assassin”s Creed, Farcry, The Crew, Just Dance, and more. Ubisoft also acts as a parent company for an array of other video game developers, including names like Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft Paris, Blue Mammoth Games, Red Storm Entertainment, and more.
Date Founded
March 28, 1986
Headquarters
Saint Mandé, France
CEO
Yves Guillemot
Subsidiaries
Massive Entertainment
, Ubisoft Paris
, Ubisoft Quebec
, Ubisoft San Francisco
Known For
Rainbow Six
, Prince of Persia
, Far Cry
, The Crew
